


The Mutt

by w00t4ewan



Series: Tumblr Drabble Collection [3]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/F, Family Fluff, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Tumblr Prompt, pregnant jj
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-03-13 11:36:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3380084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/w00t4ewan/pseuds/w00t4ewan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Between JJ and Emily, who would find a stray dog and beg the other one to keep it, and who would initially refuse then fail to say no after finding the other curled up asleep on the couch with it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was a cold, rainy autumn afternoon in DC. The type of day you just wanted to curl up with your partner on the couch and shirk any and all responsibility. Unfortunately, as BAU agents work never slept and could surely never be shirked. 

Emily and JJ were heading home after another long case. They had been gone for five days and both looked forward to a hot shower and a good night’s rest in their own bed. It was a quarter until 1600 and traffic was just starting to pick up as people trickled out of work and out to the slick wet streets. 

The light turned green and Emily pressed on the accelerator, taking her eyes off the road for just a moment to glance over at JJ who looked absolutely stunning in the dithering sunlight. 

"EM! LOOK OUT!" JJ screamed as Emily whipped her head back to the front of the car. A small black dog, no bigger than a Cocker Spaniel was standing in the middle of the street. Emily managed to swerve just in time to avoid hitting it. 

The sudden movement scared them both and Emily pulled the car to the side of the street, cursing under her breath as she frantically questioned JJ’s safety. JJ was six months pregnant with their first child and the vehicle’s automatic response to a hard brake was to tighten the seat belts in case of impact. JJ assured she was fine and opened her car door. 

"Where are you going?" Emily asked, getting out of her own seat and rushing to help JJ out of the SUV.

"Well we can’t just leave him there!" JJ stated, waving off Emily’s over protective offer to assist her out of the vehicle.

"Jayje," Emily cooed, "You can’t rescue every animal you see.”

JJ ignored Emily’s quip and watched for a pause in traffic before wandering into the street. She managed to coax the dog out of the thoroughfare and onto the sidewalk to assess it’s condition. She was obviously malnourished and showed signs this wasn’t her first fight with a vehicle, she walked with a slight limp. Otherwise, she appeared to be free from visible pest or disease. She happily nuzzled JJ’s swollen belly as she pranced around in circles of gratitude. 

"She’s gorgeous! We should take her home and make sure she’s okay," JJ recommended as Emily rolled her eyes. 

"And that’s how it starts with you…" Emily reminded. She wasn’t wrong. JJ had an affinity for poor, defenseless creatures. When they had first moved into their brownstone a cat had wandered up under their porch and JJ had taken her in to keep her safe from the elements. A few weeks later they were surprised to wake up to the sound of six kittens mewing at them from the kitchen. They managed to adopt out the kittens after eight weeks, but they kept the female cat as a playmate for Sergio. 

"Em! Baby," JJ looked up with the most pitiful baby blues. Emily hated how much control those piercing eyes held over her. She and JJ both knew that dog was coming home with them whether Emily wanted it to or not. "Please?"

"God damnit, fine!" Emily muttered, pulling her coat collar up around her ears. She would have said anything to get back into the warm car and out of the rain. "But if that thing shits on our floor, you’re cleaning it up!"

They both knew it was an empty threat. As it were, Emily would have done absolutely anything JJ asked her. It had always been that way but since the pregnancy test came back positive Emily had become the most helpful, caring, generous person JJ had ever known. 

Emily opened the hatchback and loaded the small frightened dog into the back of the SUV. She got a deep whiff of wet-dog stench and cursed at the fact she had just had her car detailed. 

They pulled into the driveway and Emily came around to help JJ out of the car. Once JJ was back on her feet and dawdling towards the front door, Emily went to the back of the SUV and gathered up the dog. 

"Okay, mutt. You get one night! And that’s only because it’s raining…and because JJ has really sad eyes sometimes," Emily told the dog who was joyously licking her face. 

They made it inside and Emily let the dog down, who immediately began exploring her new surroundings. Emily sighed as JJ kissed her cheek, beaming from ear to ear. Sergio and Luna came out to greet them at the front door but quickly dispersed at one look of their visitor. Emily couldn’t blame them, odor of wet dog permeated the foyer. She frowned, knowing would have to bathe the dog before they headed to bed that night. This was precisely why she had always been a cat person.

"I’m going to go start dinner, do you need anything?" Emily asked as she hung their coats in the hall closet, never taking her eyes off of the curious pup who was currently sniffing around Sergio’s favorite sleeping spot. 

"No, we’ll be okay," JJ smiled as she crouched down to pet her new friend. "Isn’t that right, Penelope?"

"Penelope!?" Emily laughed. "First of all, don’t name the dog. You’re not keeping it. Secondly, don’t name her after your best friend!"

"But she’s quirky and spunky like Pen! I think it’s a compliment," JJ answered proudly as she showed Penelope into the living room. Emily simply rolled her eyes and made her way to the kitchen, she knew better than to argue with a pregnant woman’s logic. 

An hour passed and Emily went to fetch JJ for dinner. She came into the living room and found JJ passed out on the couch with Penelope curled up in a ball next to her. Sergio and Luna had even come out of hiding and had taken up their usual places on the back of the couch. Emily leaned against the door from and sighed, taking in the picturesque moment. 

Penelope stirred and caught Emily staring at the big happy mess of bodies on the couch. She stretched, stepped down from the couch and went to meet Emily with a wagging tail. She head butted Emily’s shins for attention as she whimpered happily. Emily finally gave up and sat down on the floor to pet the eager pup. 

"Just like Jennifer," Emily sighed in defeat. "Always saving lives. I guess it’s your lucky day, Pen. Welcome home."

JJ knew the “falling asleep on the couch” trick would be Emily’s undoing. Her plan had worked absolutely perfectly. Two points, Jareau she awarded in her head as she smiled through closed eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place three years after the first part.

The sun was just beginning to shine through the bedroom windows as the familiar jingle of Penelope's collar came sauntering down the hallway. Penelope nudged the bedroom door open and excitedly jumped up on the bed. JJ groaned, pulling the covers over her head. Emily laughed and sat up to pet the small dog. 

"Remind me again why we got a dog?" JJ whined as Penny pawed at her blonde hair.

"I seem to remember you refusing to let me leave her on the side of the road," Emily chuckled. "Besides, how would we ever know it was 8am on Sundays without her timely visit?"

"Ugggghhhh, it's only 8?" JJ rolled over and shrunk further into the blankets.

"You and I both know, if it's 8am and Penny is already here it's only a matter of time before...." Emily didn't even finish her sentence before a small head peeked into the room from the open doorway. "Good morning my love."

"Mama!!" Parker came running to the bed and clamored in the middle of his parents, happily petting Penelope. "Mama, can we eat pancakes today?"

Emily put her finger to her lips and looked seriously at the toddler, "Shhh, Mommy is sleeping."

Parker nodded aggressively and repeated, "Shhhhh!"

He crawled over JJ and came to rest in Emily's lap. He put his chubby hands on either side of her face and looked her dead in the eye as he whispered, "If Mommy is asleep, can I eat her pancakes?"

Emily pretended to think for a minute before she kissed his head and agreed, "Only if you share with me!"

Parker raised his pinky and Emily latched it with hers to make a promise. 

"That's not very fair!" JJ huffed, finally coming up from under the blankets.

"Mommy! You're awake!" 

"Only because _someone_ was trying to steal my pancakes!" JJ grinned as she hugged her son. He was nearly 3 and looked more like her everyday. His blonde hair was a mess from going to bed soon after a bath and his blue eyes sparkled int he morning light. 

"I wasn't gonna really eat 'em!" Parker promised with a smile. 

Penelope let out a low ruff, to note she wasn't quite sure the boy was telling the truth. Parker pet her happily and she nudged her way between everyone near the head of the bed.

Emily wrapped an arm around JJ and kissed her good morning while they watched Parker play with Penny. Emily could not have imagined a more perfect morning. The looked around their room at the pictures framed on the walls, she never got tired of waking up next to the woman she loved and the son they had brought into the world. After everything she had survived in the past, Emily knew better than to take anything for granted. 

"Alright kiddo," Emily said as she got out of bed and put on her robe, "You're the chef this morning. What kind of pancakes should we make Mommy?"

"I want rocket ship pancakes!" Parker said as he followed after her down the hall, Penelope in close second. "With blueberries!"

JJ yelled after them, "And whipped cream!"

"AND WHIPPED CREAM!" Parker echoed loudly.

Once she was sure her master chefs were in the kitchen, JJ got out of bed and stretched. She swiped away the reminder on her phone, as if she needed any reminder as to what day it was. She took a deep breath as she absent mindedly thumbed the horseshoe necklace around her neck. She was actually surprised Emily hadn't said anything as soon as they woke up, maybe she had forgotten. They had just gotten back from a long case and it was their first morning off in nearly two weeks. It made sense that Emily could have just lost track of the day. 

JJ pulled the box from the drawer in the bathroom and stared at the directions as if she hadn't been going through this dance for four months already. When she was pregnant the first time, she had sworn she would never do it again. Every possible complication a person could have while pregnant, JJ had and then some. Emily had never left her side through any of it. She had been there 24/7 waiting on JJ hand and foot through the long nights and hard mornings. Through the miscarriage scare, through the doctor visits and urgent care trips when JJ was too sick to keep any fluids down. Emily never hesitated. 

And when Parker was born, Emily continued to pull more than her share of the weight. JJ had always known Emily would be an amazing mother someday but nothing could have prepared her for how selfless and patient Emily was when it came to their son. JJ's heart fluttered just thinking about it. 

She came out of the bathroom and set the test on the dresser. She said a brief prayer to the universe and watched the clock on the wall. She had been surprised when Parker came home from daycare one day and asked when he'd have a sibling. It was something she had been adamantly against because she couldn't imagine another nine months like what she experienced in her first pregnancy. Emily had known for years she couldn't have kids due to the scarring to her uterus and abdomen after Doyle had nearly killed her. JJ shook her head to get the thoughts of Emily's limp body in the ambulance out of her head. They had been through so much together and when they began this family it seemed like everything was right in the world. 

But the day Parker asked about a sibling, something shifted inside her. She wasn't sure if she was crazy or just naively optimistic but JJ suddenly couldn't stop thinking about having another baby. She and Emily discussed it at great lengths. It was already a struggle having a toddler with the hours they kept. Sandy had always been more than happy to keep Parker when the women were away on a case but JJ wanted more. She told Emily that if they had a second baby, she would quit the BAU to stay at home and raise their children. 

Emily knew JJ was serious and didn't try to talk her out of it. Emily would have done absolutely anything to make JJ happy and she had secretly longed for another set of little feet running around the house. After the first two months of insemination proved negative, they started to grow weary. Each attempt cost a bit of money but Emily always reminded that it was worth every penny if it meant they'd have another child. The third month came and went without a positive test. And now, it was fourteen days post ovulation and JJ was watching the second hand move impossibly slow as she waited for the result. 

The clock indicated it had been one minute and JJ mouthed one last prayer before picking up the test to reveal two very dark pink lines. She exhaled and began to sob. There were _two_ lines. She held the test in shaky hands as she tried to find her voice to call for Emily. 

"Babe?" JJ half whispered in between sobs. "BABE!"

From the kitchen, she heard giggling accompanied by happy barks and the clamor of pans. She got up and made her way down the hallway to see what they were up to that was making such a cacophony. When she reached the doorway of the kitchen, there was flour everywhere. Penelope was rolling around making dog shaped snow angels in the mess. Across the kitchen, Emily was squatting down with her head back and mouth opened wide as Parker was tossing blueberries haphazardly in her general direction. 

"I thought the blueberries go _in_ the pancakes?" JJ reminded as she rolled her eyes at her ridiculous family. 

Emily picked up a blueberry from the floor and popped it in her mouth, "Well once we...ummm...ran out of flour...we decided cereal with berries might be a good bet."

"Ran out of flour?" JJ questioned.

"Mama dropped it on the floor and she said a bad word!" Parker confessed.

"Well I guess Mama owes the swear jar a dollar," JJ said with a serious look in Emily's direction. "And I bet she's about to owe it another dollar too."

"What do you mean Mommy?"

Emily also looked puzzled as she looked up at JJ. JJ grinned and pulled the positive test out from behind her back and handed it to Emily.

"Congratulations, Mama Em."

"Are you shitting me!?" Emily exclaimed as she wrapped JJ in her arms and kissed her deeply. 

"That's a dollar, Mama!" said Parker sternly.

Emily laughed and looked at her son, "Oh buddy, it was worth every penny. Now, Mommy gets to go back to bed and rest. We have to do anything she says today okay?"

"Why Mama?" Parker asked skeptically.

"Because your Mommy is doing something very very special for our family. And we need to take really good care of her. Can you help me with that?"

"I'd do anything for Mommy!"

"Perfect," Emily smiled as she tousled the young boy's hair. "Now, how about we clean up this mess and make something yummy?"

"Okay! Go to bed Mommy! We're going to take care of you!" Parker reminded JJ as he pushed at her gently to urge her to leave.

JJ smiled as her heart beat fast, overwhelmed with love for the woman she loved, her son and now for the baby they would all raise together. 

"I know you will, my love. I know you will"


End file.
